Our Elizaveth: a balancing factor in Greek-Turkish relations

Coincidentally, seeing her on an Ankara street, one would feel that she has a familiar face without being able to place her. She is familiar because she is the person the public in Turkey always sees as a translator during senior Greek officials' visits to Ankara.

After graduating from Zapyon Greek High School in İstanbul, Makou went to Athens to study political science. After graduating, she returned and began working at the Greek Embassy in Ankara as a press counselor.

Her family was for some reason one of the lucky families who were not subject to the 1964 expulsion of ethnic Greeks.

Those who were not lucky enough to stay and live where they were born were recently the subject of remarks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who acknowledged that Turkey had at the time displayed a “fascist approach” in dealing with its minorities when Christians and Jews fled abroad after coming under pressure.

“This mindset has seemingly not changed. It has been the same for many years in this country. They have chased members of different ethnicities out of this country. Have we won? This was a result of a fascist mentality,” Erdoğan said at a speech in the northwestern city of Düzce, adding that his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had made similar mistakes in the past, as well.

“We have to look forward,” Makou told Today's Zaman, avoiding any direct comment on Erdoğan's recent remarks.

No magic: It’s respect, love and goodwill

Makou witnessed many landmark ups and downs in the bilateral relations between the uneasy Aegean neighbors during her career.

“I've always tried to be a balancing factor. I've always said to myself that a solution can be found to anything. One cannot live with constantly looking back into the past,” said Makou.

In January 1988, the tiny ski resort town of Davos, Switzerland, was the venue of an important meeting between Turgut Özal and Andreas Papandreou, the late leaders of Turkey and Greece, respectively.

The meeting had paved the way for a rapprochement between the two countries, which had one year previously almost engaged in a military clash over oil-drilling rights in the Aegean.

“Following the Davos process, again ups and downs were experienced between the two countries until the 1999 earthquake. The aftermath of the earthquake was a process during which a warming reached new heights, this time, between the two peoples.”

The rapprochement between the Turkish and Greek peoples after the devastating earthquakes each suffered in 1999 provided another stimulus to intensify diplomatic efforts for the improvement of bilateral relations, says the Turkish Foreign Ministry on its official Web site. If the tragedy that the two countries survived had one positive aspect, it was the reaffirmation of human solidarity between Turks and Greeks, the ministry also says.

“Ups and downs have always been there, and they will continue being experienced. What matters is maintaining dialogue, and then all kinds of problems can eventually be resolved,” Makou stressed.

In late April, Greek Ambassador to Turkey Fotios-Jean Xydas hosted a reception marking the 30th year of Makou's career at the embassy. Xydas expressed his pride in working with Makou, underlining her positive contributions during official talks between Greek and Turkish officials.

“I considered honoring her on behalf of my government as a duty. She is always in our hearts and will remain there for a long time,” Xydas said, while presenting her with a plate symbolizing the Greek government's gratitude for her work.

“I have been considered to have deserved this as it is a long time -- more than 30 years -- since I started working here. There have been many bilateral talks, political, commercial, military, etc. Maybe I have made a contribution since, through this period of time, I've always tried to assume a positive approach and have served to balance things so none of the sides would feel affronted,” Makou said.